


Through the Lens

by bucketinmyhand



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: ALSO SIMON IS A MUSICIAN !!, Alec is a struggling actor / model, Alec questions his self worth so warning if that triggers you, Also Jace is a bit of a playboy, I don’t like Jace much but he’ll be sweet in this (aside from his playboying), I don’t think I’ll make them homophobic they just don’t like anything he does so, I hope this will be cute and funny but there’ll be deep things at times, I started writing this a while ago as a sort of drabble, I’d love to read your comments and will be responding so please do that, M/M, Magnus is a photographer, Rated M for swearing sometimes, This is an AU so no supernatural being and threats of demons whatsoever!, This is the first fic I’ve accidentally written bits of, You Know I Had To Do It To Em, also this is obviously mainly based on slowburn malec, and Clace will be cute too I guess, and English isn’t my first language, but I thought the story was cute, but we also get distinguished Sizzy!, ciao!, his parents also don’t believe in him, okay so, so I’m posting my awfully written first chapter, so hit me up with any tips!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-05-22
Packaged: 2019-05-09 22:57:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14725196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bucketinmyhand/pseuds/bucketinmyhand
Summary: Alec Lightwood is a struggling actor working a minimum wage job at a coffee shop; a coffee shop he himself rates average at best. With no hope, no place to go and absolutely no self esteem, one job offer from the mysterious Downworld Fashion Company will change his life in more ways than one.Magnus Bane has always had an eye for stars. So when he’s presented with the headshots of a young, aspiring actor with a mysterious glint in his eye, he knows he has to snap him up immediately. For the camera, of course.





	1. Chapter 1

Alec didn’t want to be doing this. He didn’t want to be working in a small, slightly run down cafe where he was payed minimum wage. Sure, Java Jones were great employers; Alec got a bonus every Christmas and was allowed to keep any amount of tips he gathered himself. But there was always something missing. Alec glared down at the cup of coffee in front of him, which was bubbling slightly as he carefully added the perfect, in Simon’s terms, amount of sugar. Nearly three teaspoons. “What has my life come to?” He groaned quietly under his breathe, shaking his head as he grabbed hold of the now steaming cup and made his way to Simon’s regular table.

“Thank you, good sir” Simon beamed as Alec placed the cup gently on the coaster in front of his friend. Alec rolled his eyes.

“My pleasure” he scowled, slowly walking back to the counter.

He stretched his arms out on the cold marble worktop as he eagerly waited for more customers. “What am I doing here?” he whispered scornfully as he closed his eyes. “You’re better than this, Lightwood”

He hadn’t even realised what he’d said but that last sentence sent him into a swirling mayhem of memories.

~~~

“You’re better than this, Lightwood!” his mother growled as Alec had just confined in her about his plans. “You bring shame to our name.”

“But mo-“ Alec pleaded, getting up from the seat he was sitting in, only to be knocked down again by his father’s hand on his shoulder.

“Alec” his dad sighed. “Why can’t you just go to law school? You’ll get a good job, get a good wage and you can even continue this acting thing in your spare time”

“Or you could just do the law thing” Maryse eyed Robert, who just smiled, nodding slightly.

“Get off me” Alec said and he batted his father’s hand away with more force than he had originally intended. Robert twitched his eyebrows. He look somewhat hurt.

“Alec,” Maryse began, only to be cut off by her son.

“No, mom. No.” Alec clenched his jaw. “You don’t get to decide my entire life. I’m eighteen. I’m old enough”

“Clearly you’re not!” Maryse laughed menacingly, hurting Alec more than he’d ever care to admit. “We could make sure you get the highest position going, you wouldn’t even have to try! You just need your law degree and,” she began rambling. Alec laughed in her face.

“I’m not cheating my way to the top of an industry I have no interest or skill in” Alec itched his chin a little, avoiding any sort of eye contact. Suddenly, something came over him and he splurged, “I’m not you”, looking directly into her dark eyes. Robert’s jaw dropped wide open, his hand reaching for his wife’s shoulder. She hit it away immediately.

“Get out of here, Alexander Gideon Lightwood” she scowled, and Alec just laughed. He knew this was going to be a huge problem but at that moment in time, he didn’t care.

“Bye, Senator” he glared, pouting his lips condescendingly.

~~~

“What’s up with you today?” Alec heard a familiar voice asking, startling him up from his daydream. He shook his head slightly, trying to erase the memory as best as he could.

“I’m fine, Izzy” he smiled. He began walking towards the back to fetch her usual order, but a gentle hand grabbing his wrist prevented him from doing so. He sighed.

“I know that look, Alec” she sighed, rubbing his wrist with her thumb. “Talk to me, big brother”

Alec rolled his eyes. If he was going to talk to anyone, it would of course be Izzy. “It’s just” he began, stumbling his words slightly as everything came out in one big clump, quicker than he ever imagined. “I hate that I’m proving mom and dad right. They told me a fine arts degree would get me nowhere, now look” he stretched his arms out, referring to the coffee establishment.

“Don’t,” Izzy started, but Alec couldn’t stop.

“Whereas Jace, Jace is a hot shot lawyer with dad’s hot shot firm and is taking in more a week than I get a year. He’s no different from me. We did similarly at school, in fact I probably did better. But he listened to them” he said the last word poisonously. “he listened to them and now his Tuesday watch is worth more than my car” he felt his neck sweating up, and he combed his hand through his hair to check if that was sweaty too. Yep.

“Alec, relax” Izzy tried to comfort her brother but it was no use.

“I wish I could, Izz! I wish I could. But I can’t, and you wanna know why?” She just sighed slightly and nodded her head gently, looking down at the floor. She never let go of his hand. “Because I’m a failure! Twenty fucking five years old and working the same job as two sixteen year olds” he gestured to the two other Java Jones employees, who were sitting in their own little booth drinking lattes since the place wasn’t busy at all.

There was an uncomfortable silence, but Izzy broke it, smiling slightly. “You got the job with Downworld Fashion”

Alec looked up from the ground, wiping a tear from his eye. “I,” he began. “I did?”

“Mhm” Izzy chimed, intertwining her fingers with his. “The main photographer said you were perfect for the job, practically beamed when I showed him your headshots” Alec smiled, unable to control his usually nonchalant persona. “He was pretty cute too” she added shrugging.

“Who was?” She heard Simon call from the other side of the room. She glanced at Alec and they both burst into laughter,

“Nobody!” She called back, trying to contain herself. “Except you, my beautiful boyfriend of course” she winked and blew a kiss. He caught it.

“Stop being so Hetero, it gives me bad vibes” Alec rolled his eyes, earning a slight smack on the shoulder from Izzy. 

“Shoot, I gotta get going” she said as she looked at her watch. She patted Alec’s hand before letting go and grabbing her purse. “Be at the institute at 4pm. And wear something classy, that’s how Magnus Bane likes his men” she winked as she made her way to Simon, kissing him on the cheek before exiting.

“Wait.. Magnus Bane?”

And in that moment, Alec knew he was fucked.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec meets Magnus! Sorry if this is a bit messy, I wrote it at 12am because I’m so buzzing at all the ideas I have for this story haha. Please be sure to leave a comment and kudos, thanks for the support!

“Wow, I haven’t seen you look this nervous since you tried to impress Louis Lopez at prom” Izzy smirked, leaning on the doorframe of her brother’s bedroom. He rolled his eyes, fixing the collar of the white dress shirt he was wearing.

“Louis Lopez is no Downworld Fashion Company” he grumbled as he contemplated a fifth and final bow tie change, before finally settling no bow tie at all. “I need to impress them”

“Are you sure it’s not a ‘him’ you’re trying to impress here, Alec?” 

Alec huffed a sigh of annoyance and turned around ever so slowly from his mirror, until he came into eye contact with his sister, who was at the opposite end of the room. “I’m pretty sure.”

“It’s just that you tense up every time I say ‘Magnus Bane’, see you’re doing it right now, and your search history is full of shit like ‘Magnus Bane shirtless’. Don’t try to lie to me, Alec” Izzy walked closer and closer towards her blushing brother, resting an arm on his contracted bicep.

“I’m not, I did not, shut up” Alec sighed, giving up on arguing for the time being. “But for your information, I just wanted to see if he ever took photos of shirtless men, so I knew what to expect” Izzy just laughed. “This isn’t funny Izzy! I don’t have a crush on Magnus, he’s a potential employer, and that’s all.”

-

Boy was he wrong. As he and his sister entered Magnus Band’s suave downtown studio, the sublime architecture of the building alone was enough to make Alec weak at the knees. Maybe he should’ve been an architect, he thought. Or maybe he’s just too gay for his own good.

Nevertheless he managed to follow Izzy to the reception desk. As his and Simon’s unofficial manager, Izzy was always great at this sort of thing. Smalltalk, negotiating, anything and everything to do with people. It helped that she had her own business too, Alec supposed, as well as her part time job working with professional arguers at their dad’s firm. She was basically born to do the stuff Alec couldn’t.

It was funny, really. Despite Jace being the adopted member of the family, Alec always felt that he was the most different from everyone else. Everone else was blessed with the family’s trademark gift of the gab and lived very sociable extrovert lives whereas Alec was always more content with a book. Or his phone. Or anything that didn’t breathe. Though he did accept dogs.

Anyway, Alec must’ve had one of his mind spirals again because he found himself following Izzy and the redhead reception lady through to somewhere else in the studio, despite having no idea where they were going. They could’ve been leading him to his own death, or anything really, but at this point nothing really bothered him too much so he supposed it didn’t really matter anyway.

What he was lead to, however, was much worse than death; suffering.

A sweaty, shiny, glimmering Magnus Bane, on his own in the back of a large room, playing with some sort of camera, wearing nothing on his torso but an open, sleeveless hoodie. The most pointless invention in the world, Alec thought. Although with the view it was allowing him, he wasn’t really in a position to complain.

“Ah, Greetings!” Magnus said as he noticed the three people in the doorway. “Clarissa my darling I’ve got this from here, give reception my love!” And with that the redhead vacated the room.

Alec had to take a minute to digest what was in front of him. This man - no, this god - had personally requested to see him and would probably be talking to him any minute now.

“Hi, I’m Magnus Bane” he smiled, wiping a sweaty hand on a jean leg before offering it to Izzy and Alec respectively. Everyone noticed how his hand lingered on the latters.

“That snake bracelet, where is that from?” Magnus getsturd towards the bracelet Izzy always worse on her right arm. She laughed nervously.

“Oh, I make my own jewellery actually. It’s sort of a business”

“Ah, a fellow fashionista. I like that.” He turned to Alec and winked. “Might this fashionista have a name?”

“Oh right, I’m Izzy Lightwod and this is my brother Alec, the on-“

“one in the headshots” Magnus finished, smiling as he looked Alec up and down. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Alec”

“Hi” was all Alec could possibly say.

“Hi” Magnus smiled back softly, before turning to Izzy. “You’re the manager then I suppose?”

“Yes, I am. I deal with everything Alec can’t stomach, anyway.” Izzy and Magnus shared a laugh while Alec shifted uncomfortably.

“Well, as much as I’d love to get to know my fellow fashionista, I’m afraid my friend Luke would like to see you to discuss some of the things I can’t stomach.” Again, he winked at Alec, who looked away to avoid eye contact. “In the meanwhile I’ll take some practice shots with your client here, see what I’ll be working with.”

“Sounds great, right Alec?” Izzy said, lightly nudging her brother.

“Yeah, Great, sounds” Alec regretted his existence as soon as he opened his mouth. Useless gay.

“Very well. Izzy, I’ll take you through to Luke now. Alec, could you please go stand in front of the screen over there and look pretty? I’ll be back soon” 

And he was. Twenty three seconds in fact. Not that Alec was counting.

“You obeyed my one comand, I like it” Magnus smirked and Alec could feel his world melting. Magnus leaned on the camera stand in front of Alec and flicked his head neck dramatically. “Give me something to work with, Lightwood! You’ve got the looks of a pedigree poodle but the personality of a goldfish!” He finally snapped.

“Why are you comparing me to pets?”

“Alas, he speaks!”

“Why?”

“Why not?”

Damn. He had him there.

There was an awkward silence.

Really awkward.

Before finally...

“So, Lightwood. Anything to do with Senator Lightwood?” Magnus said, thinking of anything at all he could say to brighten the glum mood.

“Unfortunately” Alec sighed, looking up from where his head watched the floor eagerly. “She’s our mother”

“Ah. I see bluntless runs in the family”

This filled Alec with an odd sensation. First, confusion, for no one usually compared him to his parents. He was very different from them, after all.

Second, anger. “She and I are nothing alike. You don’t know me, or her for that matter so don’t get involved” he said, and he really didn’t mean to come off as rude as he did.

“Well, that teaches me for trying to make smalltalk” Magnus widened husbeyes raised his eyebrow and walked to the back of the room, where a counter housed a small minifridge. He propped himself up onto the counter and opened the fridge in front of him. “How old are you?”

“Why?”

“I want to make you a drink and if a swat team are about to burst in here to find me giving alcohol to a minor I want to know beforehand. So I can preplan a getaway.” This made Alec laugh, earning a small smile from Magnus.

“Sure, I’m old enough. Way old enough, actually. You should know this, you saw my information right?” 

“Right” Magnus sighed, jumping off the counter and crouching down to the fridge’s height. “It’s called smalltalk though, remember?” His exposed arm muscles flexed as he grabbed a few colourful bottles from the back of the fridge.

“Any allergies I should know about?”

Only to heterosexuality, Alec thought.

“No, unless there’s any penicillin in in that”

“See! This is how you socialise, Lightwood!” Magnus beamed, pouring a mixture of different juices into a blender.

As Alec was about to respond with his newfound voice, the door opened and Izzy walked in, this time accompanied by a tall guy wearing suspenders.

“Ah, Izzy, Luke, so nice if you to join us. Drink?” The two of them shook their heads.

“We actually need to take your model if that’s okay, to sign off a few final documents.” He turned to Alec and Izzy. “It won’t be too long a process, so the two of you can get home soon. Magnus, you have that shoot for the new underwear line anyway, remember?” Luke spoke confidently.

“Ah right. Perhaps another time, Alexander?” He gestured towards the potion he was in the middle of conjuring.

“Sure”

And with that, it was confirmed. Alec was fucked.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Lightwoods are off to the studio. A brief introduction to Jace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please forgive how awful this is, I just really wanted to update it even though I have a lot on with school at the moment. Please be sure to comment, I love responding! Also hit my tumblr bucketinmyhand up if you have any questions or want a chat. Happy reading!

“Alexander Gideon Lightwood! Wake up this instant!”

Alec woke up to a stern Izzy standing over his bed. He grumbled as he pulled the covers over his head, eventually giving up with hiding as Izzy pulled them away. For a small thing she sure was strong.

He turned to grab his phone, squirming when he saw the time. 6AM. In the morning. Six. In the. Morning.

“Izz, what the hell?” He groaned, sitting up as Izzy opened his curtains to get some light into the room.

“You have a photoshoot today, you need to be up”

“I do?” Alec was confused.

“Yes, Alec! You can’t keep them waiting, that’s just rude and unprofessio-”

“No, I have a photoshoot?”

“Oh” Izzy stopped for a moment. “I guess I forgot to tell you.” Alec let out yet another loud groan. “You’re not gonna impress Magnus with that attitude, now get up before I make you”

Alec locked his eyes on Izzy’s. They shared a moment before he pulled back, slowly. Her face lit us as she rushed out of the room, soon reentering with a bucket of water in her hand.

“Izzy..” Alec said, genuinely terrified. “You don’t have to do this”

“No, I don’t. Now get up, dipshit”

He got up.

-

Before arriving at the studio for eight, the two Lightwoods went to pick up Jace, who claimed he had a great relationship with Downworld Fashion after Magnus photographered him for his debut in Law Magazine. What a thrilling piece of literature, Alec thought.

Jace lived with his siblings, in their apartment which was kindly funded by their parents. The only good thing they’ve ever done for Alec, in his opinion. However, whenever he gets too wasted at his favourite club, Pandemonium, he’ll crash at Simon’s appartment which is basically next door. Sure, he had enough money for transportation home, but why spend $20 on an Uber when you can spend $20 on shots for six, right?

Arriving at Simon’s tiny loft with half an hour to go, Alec and Izzy waited exactly fourteen minutes before the door opened and Jace walked out. Looking hungover as fuck.

“We’ve been waiting forever! Where have you been?” Izzy asked as Jace slouched into the back of her car. He groaned through his hands, which were holding his face.

“I woke up like, five minutes ago, give me a break”

“We didn’t even need you to come with us” Alec rolled his eyes, earning a laugh from Izzy, who waved at a smiling Simon in his window, before turning out of the parking lot.

“I have connections with Mr. Bane, I think I could help you secure a good deal”

Alec and Izzy remained silent for a minute, eyeing eachother cautiously. Until-

“And also I have my eye on someone who works there”  
“There we go. There’s always a motive with you, isn’t there?” Alec rolled his eyes and chuckled, not annoyed at all with his brother but with himself for thinking for one second that Jace was doing something without some sort of personal gain involved. He loved his brother, of course he did. He was just a giant dick sometimes. Not even the good kind.

“You’re not the only one with your eye on someone there, Jace” Izzy smirked, earning a scoff from Alec.

“Ah, Bane’s worked his magic on you already then?” Jace matched his sister’s smirk, leaning forward to place a hand on Alec’s shoulder. “You should go for it. You’d be a power couple”

“Fuck off, Jace” Alec said, squirming from his hold. “You too, Izzy. I don’t like Magnus. He’s a colleague. That’s all”

“Sure thing, brother” Jace said, but the look shared between him and his sister said otherwise.

-

They arrived at the studio just on time. Alec and Izzy were told to go straight to Magnus’ room, which they did. Jace’s decision to linger back at reception rather than join them definitely had nothing to do with the cute redhead working there, Alec thought, trying to think of anything else other than what was on the other side of the door they were currently outside.

“Just go in” Izzy said, urging her brother to open the door. When she finally gave up on any hope she had for him, she opened the door and let him go in first.

“Ah, Lightwoods! It’s a pleasure to meet you again” Magnus greeted them, rolling up the sleeves of the - very loud - purple shirt he was wearing.

“You too Magnus” Izzy smiled, and Alec just nodded. “Should I stay here or should I leave? I’m sure you boys will be fine without me”

“Actually Izzy, I hope you don’t mind but I set up a meeting with Downworld Fashion’s brand manager, the incredible Catarina Loss, for you”

“To discuss what, exactly? Luke and I already worked the terms of Alec’s contract out an-”

“No offence to him, but this is nothing to do with Alec.” Magnus smirked, Izzy laughed and Alec rolled his eyes. “She’s interested in adding your jewellery business to the spectacular list of the companies we represent. After I raved about your snake bracelet she told me to set it up immediately”

“Magnus, that’s incredible! Having the opportunity to work with such a prest-”

“Save that for Catarina, darling” Magnus winked. “She should be waiting for you at reception. Best of luck!” He smiled brightly.

“Thank you so much” Izzy beamed, turning to Alec and placing a hand on each of his arms. “Behave, okay?”

“You know I will” Alec couldn’t stop himself from smiling. “Now to get ‘em, tiger” with that, and a kiss to her brother’s cheek, Izzy was gone.

“Such a great girl, your sister. Talented, too” Magnus smiled whistfully, turning to play with his camera.

“Yes, it runs in the family” Alec said, nonchalantly.

“Why Alexander, was that homour?” Magnus smiled, squinting as he looked up at a now smiling Alec.

“Maybe”

“You’re getting good at this whole socialising thing, aren’t you” Magnus set his camera town on it’s stand and moved closer.

“Evidently”

“And we’re back to one word answers” Magnus lifted his eyebrows and turned back to the equipment. “You clearly have a dazzling personality but for now could you please put your orettt face to use and do a few test shots for me?” He pointed towards the space in front of his camera, which Alec eventually moved to.

“In this?” Alec said skeptically, gesturing to the basic jeans and white shirt combo he threw on this morning.

“They’re called test shots for a reason, you know” Magnus rolled his eyes, smiling slightly as he did so. “I don’t have anything else for you, unless you want to get nak-”

“This is fine, fine fine. Fine. So fine” Alec stuttered nervously.

“Atta boy” Magnus smiled fondly.

Yep, Alec thought, he really was fucked.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I made a tumblr, bucketinmyhand, where you can come and talk to me and whatnot so like,, go do that if you want!


End file.
